WASHINGTON, DC -- In an effort to protect Narragansett Bay and the marine life that inhabits its waters, U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) today announced that the University of Rhode Island (URI) will receive $270,803 to study hypoxia, or ocean ‘dead-zones.' Hypoxia occurs when oxygen levels are depleted, killing fish and other aquatic animals. Hypoxic events are often caused by nutrient pollution from sewage released into the Bay and high water temperatures. URI will use the federal aid to develop simulation models used to predict how ecosystems respond to hypoxia.

"I am pleased that the University of Rhode Island is receiving this critical federal funding to help protect the health of Narragansett Bay," said Reed, a champion of the Bay and member of the Appropriations subcommittee which oversees federal spending on the program. "Narragansett Bay is critical to our environment and our economy. This study will help researchers examine how the Bay is affected by these dead zones and develop strategies to prevent and control the problem."

This grant, awarded through the U.S. Department of Commerce's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), will support development of simulation models for predicting the distribution of hypoxia under a range of conditions such as nutrient release. Data will be collected to provide resource managers with the capability to better assess ecosystem responses to hypoxia and evaluate strategies for proposed nutrient control.

In 2003, an anoxic, or ‘no oxygen' event occurred in Greenwich Bay resulting in a large fish kill. In response, a state law was passed imposing limits on the largest wastewater treatment facilities discharging to or just upstream of the Bay.